Tiktekno: clip summarizing today's events in sport, 12.4/sport1
1. Just like last year, only without the fort
In its first 13 minutes at the Belgrade Arena (once, until a week ago, this hall was called Starek. But not anymore) Maccabi Tel Aviv took a 15:39 lead.
In the next 48 minutes, which sealed the game against Partizan Belgrade and opened the meeting with Red Star Belgrade, she was defeated 122:71.
But in the last 19, she came to her senses and won again by a large margin, this time 31:53.
The Yellows went through this extreme roller coaster for one win and one loss in total, and yesterday (Thursday) the Kambkovic Arena became their new alternate home. And how strange it was: no team escaped to more than a ten-point advantage, Olympia Milan led for only 86 seconds, and at 35:26 minutes another team was in the lead. She is also the one who won. The hostess, of course. Nothing like home, huh?
Sarcasm aside, this might be the story of the entire season. Finney Gershon used to say for decades that the audience in Yad Eliyahu is worth 10-12 points in a game. If you translate that into averages, it's equivalent to Josh Niebo's offensive contribution. no less. The fact that the Yellows were forced to give up this permanent goal, and started each and every game with a natural disadvantage, yet finished with a 14:20 balance - just like a year ago, only without the hall - is nothing less than amazing.
Think about it: Panathinaikos and Real Madrid are the two most home teams in the Euroleague, with 13 wins and four losses in Allman; Olympiakos and also Virtus Bologna, if they are lucky, will climb to 4:13 tonight and be equal to Monaco, Anadolu Efes and Maccabi. There is only one fundamental difference between the six teams mentioned here and the Israeli champion; Each of them enjoyed stands filled with thousands of fans, and in 17 of the 34 rounds she stayed at home, did not fly anywhere, slept at night and enjoyed peace, tranquility and a blessed routine.
In contrast, Maccabi Tel Aviv practically lives on the suitcases. In practice, in terms of the daily routine and logistical preparation, she went to 33 away games this season. And unlike the others - it only had 621 viewers on average (10,559 in the opening round, and 0 more or less in all the rest), and it hosted at an air distance of 1,904 km from home.
The play-in, where the Yellows will be required to take advantage of this strange home advantage, is still ahead of them. The bottom line of this season has yet to be written. But in any case, as Oded Ketch said yesterday, "It is permissible to enjoy milestones even in the middle of the road." And he is right. How many coaches do you know who have a perfect career record against Ettore Messina - and not just perfect, but 0 :5? If he says, he probably knows.
2. Suddenly one knockout game interferes?
If not for the play-in, Maccabi Tel Aviv would have secured its place in the quarter-finals already last week, and is starting to prepare this morning for the series against Panathinaikos. In a world full of position, her fans are coming out on social media against the new middle stage. "How can you erase a league of 34 rounds in one knockout match?", they lament with a fair amount of justice (and completely ignore the fact that the European champions for the last 58 years have been crowned by winning a single knockout match in the final).
The method in which the Euroleague chose to hold the play-in gives a relative advantage to those who finished in a higher position; 10th place needs two away wins to advance to the playoffs; The ninth place requires two wins (one at home and one away); One victory (away or at home) is enough for eighth place; And seventh place needs one win in two home games. Is this method completely fair? You can argue. Is it correct to ignore the balance sheets, and not to give any additional advantage in case of a significant gap in the table? maybe not.
In one thing the playin has already proven itself: it has injected another dash of interest and excitement that already exists in the most unpredictable league in the world. Until a week ago, only four of the 18 participants had nothing to play for; All the teams in the middle of the table - somewhere between the 10th and 14th place - would have gone to the beach (or at least gone skiing) already in February, and here, Eps arrives in the spring as the great hope of everyone who does not want to see Real in the Final Four.
3. So who is better for Maccabi to get? Hint: starts with B
So who is better for Ketchis to have on Tuesday in Belgrade? Are you in Ascona or Bologna? Beyond the conditioned reflex that immediately shouts "Obviously Bologna", the answer is more complex.
On the one hand, it is clear that the Basques are more dangerous. Even before talking about Cody Miller-McIntyre and Chima Monka, it's enough to remember Marcus Howard's second quarter against Maccabi Tel Aviv in Vitoria, in which he scored 18 points (and was one point away from the all-time record for an opposing player of the Yellows, signed by Nemanja Nadovic). To illustrate what an explosive opponent this is.
Duško Ivanovic's famous hairstyle epitomizes his team's basketball: wild, prone to scattering, looks unnatural, but hard to ignore. And in one word - Coco.
And on the other hand, the Bolognese (if they manage to win tonight) are also a minefield. Their collapse in the second half of the season is truly gloriously bad; In the last ten rounds, they are ranked 16th in the EuroLeague, with only Red Star and Elba Berlin behind them, but alongside the obvious fatigue of Toko Shanglia, Daniel Hackett, Marco Belinelli and Bryant Dunston, their experience is also evident, which may become a significant advantage in one fateful game, which determines the destinies of A whole season.
4. In order not to sin and err
And two final words: Wade Baldwin. Because every column that deals with Maccabi Tel Aviv this season, and does not mention this man, sins and makes a mistake.